Clubhouse buzz

So the new guys are here, and both Ross Detwiler and Justin Maxwell seem to understand that they're not going to play much, if at all.

Detwiler: "Really, I'm not expecting too much. Just to try to get my feet wet up here. They said I was going to be in the bullpen, maybe a few innings here and there. But really, I'm not expecting too much."

Maxwell: "They said just to be ready to play every day. If I get a chance to play, then it's gravy. Just take it all in, learn. Learn as much as you can."

Spoke with Ray King by phone. He seemed a little disappointed for a guy headed to a pennant race. "Any time you get a phone call from the general manager's secretary, it's not good." He got the call right when he got to the ballpark today. And because he was traded after Aug. 31, he will not be eligible to be on the Brewers' postseason roster, should they make it.

He also spoke fondly of his time here: "Would I love to come back and put the Nat uniform on next year?" he said. "Like I told Bowden, 'Hey, I'm a free agent. ... I'd love to come back here. It's a great situation."

This is the third straight year that Bowden, by the way, has traded a left-handed reliever for a prospect. He did it twice with Mike Stanton, and last year got Shairon Martis, a pitcher who went 14-8 with a 4.23 ERA for Class A Potomac this season.

Bowden, in explaining the trade: "For us it makes sense when you can trade a 33-year-old pitcher for a prospect and the player's a free agent in three weeks anyway." He and Manny Acta praised King for his work both on the mound and in the clubhouse.

Tiny crowd expected out here tonight. There's almost no one in the stands and the game starts in 25 minutes.